


Zelgan Week 2016 Compilation

by quietpastelcolours



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Zelgan Week 2016, but some of it is fluffy as hell, soooo idk really what to tag, this does feature some explicit violence and death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-01 23:50:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6541837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietpastelcolours/pseuds/quietpastelcolours
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a collection of six prompts written for the Zelgan Week 2016, as hosted on Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aided Intuition

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the prompts are really short, barely even a one shot, but I figured I'd put them up anyway :D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is inspired by a really old book I once read (and I can't for the life of me remember who wrote it or what it was called D:)
> 
> The prompt for this was: Clouded Jewellery.

Zelda first became aware that something was wrong over an otherwise pleasant breakfast. She’d been sipping her tea and watching the sunrise, as it was her habit to rise early, but eventually she’d realised her necklace was growing warm.

This was not the warmth that came of her body heat warming cool metal and stone; no, she knew what that was. This was different – the glistening ruby nestled at her throat was becoming hot, almost too hot to bear. Her teacup and saucer slipped to the ground, smashing into shards of fine porcelain over the marble floor as her fingers flew to her neck, fighting to get the clasp undone before the heat scorched her skin.

The necklace beat her to it.

With a wrenching groan, it shattered, splinters of ruby falling like rain to scatter across the floor, and then the gold chain snapped, clattering to the ground with a noise that almost startled her in its volume. Her heart in her throat, Zelda knelt to examine what was left of her most prized possession, scooping up a few fragments and stroking the once brilliant facets. What had once been a bright, deep red was now clouded and dull, maroon in most places and black in others. The chain too had tarnished, changing from lovingly polished gold to dingy brass in an instant.

Her fingers clenched around the shards convulsively as her mind recognised what her heart ached to believe; he’d betrayed her. Standing, Zelda crossed to the window that faced west, unable to see anything but hoping and yet dreading that she would. How could he do this? How could he give her this necklace as a token of his love for her many moons ago, and do this?

A crystal tear slipped down a pale and otherwise emotionless cheek as she recalled the oath he’d sworn on it, an oath made in the stillness of early morning as he swore on the Gerudo jewel that he would never hurt her. Zelda took a deep breath and wiped her tears; she scooped up the rest of the pendant and slipped it into her pocket before going in search of her generals – little did Ganondorf know it, but he’d just declared war. Some small voice in her mind reminded her that he’d been the one to swear his loyalty, his _love_ to her in the first place; perhaps he already knew, perhaps he’d always known what he was going to do, that he was going to betray her and their love. It was a forbidden love to be true, but illicit and hidden as it had been, Zelda had loved him fiercely – and thought herself loved in return.

Her heart ached as she summoned her hero.


	2. Pursuit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this was: the Hunt.
> 
>  
> 
> I went with an Edwardian Era AU for this, because come on, who doesn't adore the Edwardian Era???

The wind whipped through her hair as she spurred her steed on, and Zelda grinned through her pants as she rode harder than she had in a good long while. All around them, hounds bayed and charged headlong after the keaton they hunted, and she laughed at the sight of the rest of the party as their path led them through a puddle, mud splattering the lot of them.

To her left, she saw one particular steed slow, and curiosity got the better of her as she reined in her horse from the gallop and watched as the hunting party careened over the hill, the man with the horn blowing madly and whipping the hounds into a frenzy. She trotted over to the enormous black stallion that had come to rest on the crest of a hill, watching the hunters go charging over the next dale and out of sight.

“And are you enjoying the hunt, Lord Ganondorf?” She inquired, smiling politely as the desert man turned to face her. His teeth were a white flash against the canvas of his dark skin, his fangs in sharp relief as he grinned at her.

“I am rather. Though I admit I don’t see the purpose of it. If you mean to catch the keaton, why not set a snare?”

Zelda laughed lightly. “It’s not about the kill. It’s about the chase; the ceremony, the pomp and circumstance.”

Ganondorf shifted in his saddle, drawing her gaze to the sheer enormity of his form. “That doesn’t seem very fair on the keaton.”

Zelda frowned. “If I were one of Papa’s court, I’d take this opportunity to offer a snide remark on your apparently curious morals.”

That made him laugh; he threw back his head and gave way to his mirth, and Zelda smiled, relieved that she hadn’t offended him.

“Do I take it, then, that you don’t know how to hunt?” She continued sweetly.

“Don’t know how to-” Ganondorf broke off, looking miffed. “I’ll have you know I’ve had centuries to hone my skills. I could track _you_ down, easy as breathing.”

There was a long pause.

Ganondorf could have kicked himself. Track her down – what a foolish thing to say! The princess would surely tell her father and he would be kicked out of Hyrule immediately, his so-called diplomatic visit up in smoke. Why, he’d never before said such a stupid - he cut himself off when he noticed the expression on Zelda’s face.

She lifted her chin, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Is that so? That sounds rather like a challenge, my Lord.”

A slow grin draped across his features. “Maybe it is.”

“Maybe indeed.” Princess Zelda leaned forwards, a distinctly flirtatious air to her demeanour now. It sent a thrill through his veins to see it. “All right. I’ll make you a deal. If you can catch me, I shall grant you an entire day of my undivided attention. I know you’ve been petitioning my father, but he and I have both been rather busy with all of our guests and neither of us have heard you yet. Let me do so now.”

Ganondorf’s grin widened. “You could save yourself the trouble of trying to best me and accept your defeat now.”

She tossed her head, her golden hair catching the sunlight and flashing in a very distracting fashion. “Please. You must wait until I get into the trees, though.” She said, gesturing to where the woods properly began. “It isn’t fair otherwise.”

He nodded. “As my lady wishes.”

A grin twitched at the corner of her mouth, and then Zelda spurred her horse, cantering down the incline and into the trees. Ganondorf waited until he couldn’t hear the hoofbeats of her steed, and then he spurred his own stallion down into the woods. She wasn’t very hard to track; once he’d picked up her trail it was easy – almost _suspiciously_ easy.

He found the hoof prints of her horse with ease, the marks of her gelding’s shoes having clearly imprinted on the spongy ground – she’d even been careless and broken twigs as she passed bushes and shrubs. A grin twisted his lips – he’d find her soon. After ten minutes he became aware of the sound of running water – manoeuvring his stallion through a thicket of trees, he came to a small cliff face, and there was – Zelda’s horse. But… she wasn’t astride the animal. Frowning hard, Ganondorf dismounted himself, looping the reins of his horse around a branch, then moved forwards to see if she had fallen or some other thing. No – her horse, like his, was tied to a tree. She’d dismounted on purpose.

Suspicion flashed through him, and though this lifetime was a diplomatic and peaceful one, centuries of hatred made him move cautiously. Rounding the side of the cliff, he was rather startled to find a depression in the ground, a waterfall cascading down to the spring at the bottom. Standing against the stone wall watching the water was the princess.

Ganondorf made his presence known, and she smiled up at him as he descended to stand before her.

“Perhaps you’ll agree I can track you perfectly well.” He said, letting his arrogance touch his tone.

She smiled very mysteriously; her blue eyes were in shadow and made her look very ethereal. “Perhaps I didn’t try to evade you.”

Ganondorf raised a brow _. So this is how she wants to play it?_ Very well. He certainly wouldn’t complain. “Perhaps you wanted to be caught.” He said slowly, advancing another step towards her, then another. Truly, she looked luminously beautiful in her mud splattered riding habit, her hair windblown and ruffled, the stain of dirt across one otherwise flawless cheek.

“Perhaps I did.” Zelda said with a mischievous yet alluring smile, straightening up so there was barely room between them.

“And even so…” He said, lifting a hand to a curl that had escaped her hat. “You’ll find I haven’t caught you yet.”

Zelda inhaled in shock as Ganondorf leaned down and kissed her. This was it – what they had been dancing around for weeks now. She fully suspected she’d have kissed him much sooner but for the want of privacy at the castle – here, however, in the deep woods, their words masked by the waterfall – she could kiss him if she pleased.

As it turned out, she did please, and her eyes drifted shut as her fingers crept up to grip his shoulders. He was completely in charge, that bossy mouth that had teased her and teased her now leading hers perfectly in a slow waltz; his lips were soft and yet they were firm and unyielding – she had no choice but to conform to his wish. Ganondorf’s hand crept to her waist and tugged her form into his – with his hard, muscular frame pressed against hers, Zelda found herself making a breathy whimper as his tongue stroked along the seam of her lips, urging her to open to him. His kiss was heady, dark, dangerous – exactly like him, and Zelda fought the urge to give in completely.

In the distance, a sound permeated the growing fog of arousal and lust in her mind – a sound rapidly growing closer. Even as she confusedly marvelled over the way her nipples had peaked tightly against his hard chest, she realised the sound was the hunting horn – the keaton was leading the hunting party back through the woods. Panic at the possibility of discovery made her pull back, and yet the look smouldering in Ganondorf’s eyes nearly made her forget her own values and kiss him again.

“We should re-join the hunt.” She whispered against his mouth, and he nodded, the intensity in his dark golden eyes making her feel warm all over. Instead of letting her walk, the Gerudo man scooped her into his arms and carried her up towards her horse. He settled her into her saddle, and Zelda slipped her feet into the stirrups, and Ganondorf helped her reorganise her skirt so it fell correctly over the side-saddle, setting her aflame when his fingers brushed over her thighs. Quite unable to help herself, she leaned down and crushed her lips to his; he was tall enough that she barely had to lean down. Ganondorf threaded a hand into her hair as he kissed her with far less restraint this time; it was all she could do not to moan at his touch.

They parted all too soon, and Ganondorf brushed his fingers over her cheek before he turned to mount his own steed. She was turning to ride towards the sound of the baying hounds when the desert Lord’s voice stopped her.

“May I see you again, Princess?” He asked, then reached across the gap between them to take her gloved hand in his, voice still deep and rough with obvious lust. It made her almost shiver in delight that she could affect him like that.

She flashed him a bright and mischievous smile. “Of course; didn’t I promise a full day of my undivided attention if you caught me? Unless I’m very much mistaken, I’d say I’m well and truly caught. Although… we shall have to see if you can find something to capture my attention for longer.”

Ganondorf grinned and released her hand after squeezing her fingers lightly. “I believe I can do that.”

“Yes.” Zelda said with a laugh as she spurred her horse on. “I rather think you will.”


	3. The Sun Flower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have an intense love for zelgan where they snark endlessly at each other and yet really care about each other too, so that's what this little oneshot is. Features a mountain.
> 
> The prompt is: Rare Flowers

“Where are we going, Princess?”

Zelda rolled her eyes at his complaining tone. “We’re nearly there.” She called over her shoulder. “Just a little further to go.”

She carefully made her way up the steep and rocky incline with her lantern as her only light, heading towards the crevice at the top of the mountain. Thankfully, it wasn’t a huge mountain, and they’d only been climbing for two hours.

“Zelda! Why couldn’t you tell me where we were going before you dragged me half way up a bloody mountain!?” Ganondorf sounded grumpy now, so she turned to face him.

“You said there is no beauty to be found in my land.” She said, shading her eyes from the glow of his lantern. “I have something to show you that might change your mind.”

Ganondorf raised a brow at her and opened his mouth to speak, then changed his mind and stared around before he shorted derisively. “Please. You think this miserable rock will change my mind? Look it at! It’s practically midnight and it’s bare as a bulbin’s left arse cheek. I can’t see a bloody thing!”

“ _Charming_.” Zelda drawled, wrinkling her nose. “But no. It’s not the mountain itself; it’s what’s inside it.”

There was a short silence, and she turned around and kept climbing.

“Inside?” Came a mutinously accented voice from below. “Are you planning to shove me into a volcano?”

“I consider it more and more each time you complain.” She threatened.

“My most sincere apologies, Princess.” He said mockingly. “I’m out of sorts, it seems; maybe because _someone_ got me out of bed at three in the morning to hike up a bloody mountain.”

“You won’t want me to apologise when you see what’s inside.” She said confidently, reaching the narrow ledge at last and raising her lantern so she could see in the dark before tiptoeing along it.

Ganondorf was actually silent for a moment. “Now I _am_ curious.” He muttered to himself, and then he followed her onto the ledge.

“Careful.” She cautioned. “It’s a long way down if you fall.”

Ganondorf muttered something about not being an idiot under his breath, and Zelda rolled her eyes and carefully kept walking. At the other end of the long ledge was the crevice, and she slipped inside with an airy, “Through here.”

They made their way through the tunnel and then it opened up into a cavern, where they promptly got ambushed by what felt like a million keese. Zelda shrieked as one got caught in her hair, and Ganondorf wrenched the little creature loose then pulled her into his chest to shield her. When the keese had fled the cave, she straightened up and gave him a sheepish smile.

“Whoops.” She said with a laugh, and he rolled his eyes.

“Right.” He said irritably. “What’s so special about this cave?” Lifting his lantern higher, he shone the light over the small spring in the wall, the mushrooms and faintly glowing fungi on the walls. “Is it the spring? Did you bring me here to show me this piddly little spring?”

“No, it’s not the spring.” Said Zelda. “Sit down and stop complaining.”

He sat, but he didn’t stop grumbling under his breath. Tugging his pack from his shoulders, Zelda pulled the large blanket free and wrapped it around him, then crawled into his lap. She estimated he’d start whinging about being cold in about three, two, one…

“I’m _cold_.”

She had to stifle her laughter. “Now you start.”

“It wasn’t that cold while I was exerting myself to _climb an entire mountain_.” He defended himself. “Why’re you making me do this in the middle of winter, for the love of all that’s-”

“Have you ever heard of the Sun Flower?” She interrupted.

There was a suspicious silence. “…I take it you don’t mean a regular sunflower, so I’m going to go with… no.”

Zelda grinned as she tipped her head back to meet his gaze before she explained. “Legend has it that during her war with Demise, Hylia stood in this very cave. The sun poured in through the ceiling – it’s too dark to see it now, but there’s an opening in the roof – and touched her form, and her magic caused the sunlight to drip from her fingertips and into the earth. From it sprouted a single flower that blooms eternally, yet only once every hundred years. I can’t tell you how excited I was when I figured out I’d be able to see it during my lifetime. I’ve had it marked on my calendar for years. It blooms on the morn of the shortest day of winter, which explains why we are here in the dark and the cold.”

Ganondorf was silent as he processed this, and Zelda reached into the pack to pull out a thermos filled with steaming hot tea. She poured out two cups and handed one to the Desert King, who took it gratefully.

“So… why didn’t you tell me we were coming to see the flower bloom?”

“I had a few reasons.” She said as she snuggled down against him, feeling very warm and cosy while tucked against his chest and nursing a good cup of tea. “The first being that I wanted it to be a surprise. The bloom is said to be stunningly beautiful, so much so that it can move people to tears. How’s that for ‘Hyrule has no beauty’, hmm? My second reason was, I thought you’d whine too much if you knew I was dragging you out of bed to come and look at a flower.”

“I really think you think too ill of me.” He said comfortably. “I don’t complain _that_ much.”

“Don’t you?” Zelda sipped her tea.

“Question: if this is a legendary flower that only blooms once every century, why are we the only ones here? And how did you know where the cave mouth was? You went straight to it.”

“It’s a legend. Most people think it’s mere fable, but the fact that it is real is a secret passed down through the royal family. A King or Queen lucky enough to see it bloom is said to have their rule blessed by Hylia herself.” She turned in his grasp to smile up at him. “Now your rule will be blessed too.”

The most peculiar expression crossed his features, and then he hauled her up and kissed her quickly, slopping her tea down her front in the process.  
“Thank you, Zelda.” He said fervently, completely ignoring her efforts to mop up the tea spillage.

“You’re welcome.” She said, pleased at his response. “As for the location, I calculated the most likely positions from maps and legends, and then I set out a few years ago to find it. I did find it – but as it wasn’t time for the flower to bloom, I could do nothing but mark it on a map and wait for today; the anticipation is _killing_ me.”

He chuckled. “So I can see.”

They’d arrived a little early, so they were able to spend close to an hour relaxing in their blanket, sipping hot tea and partaking of the breakfast Zelda had had packed for the trip. Finally, she noticed dawn approaching and elbowed Ganondorf excitedly in the ribs.

“Ow! Watch it!”

“Sorry Gan, but look! Dawn is coming.”

Zelda practically held her breath as dawn lengthened and grew, the weak light growing stronger. She elbowed Ganondorf again as the edge of a circle of sunlight began to creep into the cavern, lighting it up. As the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, the disc of light began to move, creeping across the cavern floor to what was now visible in the centre of the cool earth; a single sprouting stalk bearing a tightly furled bud. After another hour (during which she nearly passed out due to holding her breath so much – a bad habit left over from trying to supress childish excitement in public when she was small), the disc of light was finally centred over the bloom.

And it began to move.

Ganondorf leaned forwards with her as the bloom twitched and slowly began to rise, and then, almost imperceptibly, the tight petals began to unfurl. Zelda clenched the Gerudo King’s fingers tightly in hers as she tried not to blink, and then all at once the flower bloomed.

They both gasped at the sight – the flower resembled a giant lily, luminous and glowing in the sunlight, the petals a rich cream edged with bright vibrant gold; it looked like a goldsmith had literally gilded the lily – it was a colour wholly unnatural to nature.

“It’s so beautiful…” She whispered softly. A strange sound from somewhere above her made her take her gaze from the bloom, only to Ganondorf hastily wiping moisture from his eyes.

“Are you _crying?”_ She asked, completely shocked. “You _are!”_ Zelda snickered into her fingertips. “I always knew you were the emotional one.”

Ganondorf finished wiping his eyes and glared at her. “I’m not crying.” He snapped. “I - got something in my eye. From the keese.” He nodded at her, then scowled harder. “And meanwhile _you_ are unaffected.” He said, his tone offended and obviously irritated at her teasing. “Does this prove your heart of stone, emotionless and ever unchanging?”

Zelda laughed, unaffected by his words. The _keese_ \- did he think she was stupid? They’d gone an hour ago, the ridiculous man. “Please. If I were truly cold-hearted, I could never have admitted that I loved you.”

Ganondorf instantly brightened. “That is true.” He allowed. “While we’re on the subject of love… how, exactly, did you get it into your head that I don’t think there’s any beauty in Hyrule?”

Zelda furrowed her brow, confused. “…You told me.”

“No, I didn’t.” He sounded very amused. “You must have misheard.”

Zelda sat up in the circle of his arms and turned to frown at him. “Gan, what on earth do you mean? You said that ‘there is no beauty in Hyrule’-”

“-In comparison to _you_.’” He finished. “You didn’t hear the second part, did you?”

She merely gaped at him, and Ganondorf chuckled.

“You dragged me up a bloody mountain, and at an inhumane hour, I might add, all to prove a point when I was only trying to compliment you.”

She frowned, opened her mouth then closed it again. “I – I don’t know what to say.”

“Then let _me_ say that for someone so wise, you can be remarkably idiotic sometimes.”

Zelda pursed her lips and very deliberately turned back to the flower, but a warm and fuzzy feeling was spreading through her. “Well… thank you. That’s very sweet of you, really.” She thought for a moment and clarified. “The beauty thing, _not_ the idiotic comment.”

Ganondorf chuckled. “You’re welcome, Zel. But you won’t get grumpy now, will you? After all, you did say you’d have been coming up here anyway.”

“That’s true.” She reasoned, then turned slightly in his lap, lifting her arm to lazily beckon him down. “Kiss me.”

He grinned down at her, the fresh sunlight catching his vivid hair and making it blaze, the sheer beauty of the Sun Flower blooming behind them as he leaned down. “It would be my very great pleasure, Princess.”


	4. Afterlife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had sooooo much trouble with this prompt. I was about ready to give up on it when I was talking to my brother, and I was like ‘hey. If you had to write about undeath, what would you write?’ and he was like ‘ghosts’ and I was like ‘that works’ and thus my ghostganondorf AU was born. 
> 
> The prompt is: Undeath

Ganondorf shoved his head through the wall and looked around, making sure the coast was clear before he stepped through the bricks and floated down the hall. Ever since he’d taken to haunting Hyrule Castle in the afterlife, he’d been having a marvellous time. Why, he’d even been present when the present Princess Zelda had been born. He was in the Great Hall now, where that Zelda, now twenty, was hosting a magnificent ball. He was particularly interested in his ball because his newest reincarnation was in attendance.

Ganondorf nodded approvingly at the newest Demon King, the reincarnation directly following when he himself had been alive. It was a little confusing, knowing that he was here, dead and also a ghost, and yet he was alive, currently dancing with the Princess of Hyrule. There were a few princesses in the Great Hall actually – all Zelda’s, and all were dead but one. His gaze automatically sought out the Zelda of his life – she was perched up on the chandelier, watching the revellers below, her hair and clothes billowing gently out behind her. Honestly, the fact that his hair wouldn’t stay put was probably the most irritating thing about being a ghost. Well, besides the fact that he was dead. 

His thoughts turned from his death to the place he haunted; sometimes he doubted the wisdom involved in haunting Hyrule Castle, or as his Zelda would no doubt say, the lack of it. Vast numbers of ghost Zelda’s inhabited the castle, and yet he was the only Ganondorf here, but he supposed it was because they’d all get chased out by the numerous heroes who called the castle their final resting place, and in any case, most of his past lives preferred to haunt the desert instead. Ganondorf turned and spotted the Hero’s Shade eyeballing him from the middle of the punchbowl, and made a face at the ghostly skeleton.

The only reason he was tolerated here was because his Zelda refused to let them throw him out, which he appreciated. Ganondorf floated up to the ceiling and performed his most stately court bow.

“May I have this dance, my Queen?”

“You most certainly can.” She said warmly, pushing herself off the chandelier to curtsy in mid air before him. Ganondorf took her hand and began a mid-air waltz, ignoring the lively music in favour of swirling Zelda slowly around and around, her touch solid yet insubstantial. He spun her out and around, and then when he pulled her in he kissed her. Her fingers twined into his gently floating hair as her soft lips parted for his tongue, and Ganondorf groaned against her mouth. Kissing a ghost was so… unsatisfying when you had the memory of when you were alive to measure it against. Still… he was eternally thankful that he was able to spend eternity with Zelda, his Zelda, even if they were both only pale shades of their former selves. He’d rather be here, in the place he’d both coveted and despised, rather than be forced to spend eternity without her.


	5. Honeyed Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's another Victorian/Edwardian AU (I can't make up my mind which era I like better.) 
> 
> The prompt is: Sweet Talk

“-and such beauty ought to be praised.”

Zelda smiled behind the fan she was busy fluttering flirtatiously. The Demon King certainly was laying it on thick today.

“Are you volunteering your services?” She inquired as coquettishly as she could.

Heat sparked in Ganondorf’s golden eyes as he leaned in close enough to feel the warmth of his breath against her cheek. Strangely enough, it made her shiver. Zelda inwardly frowned; perhaps she wasn’t as immune to his charms as she had thought.

“If my lady likes.” He said, voice deep and – Goddesses above – attractive. She was in real danger now, she realised.

“The trouble is-” She breathed, her lips a hairs breadth away from his. “-If anyone sees us-”

“Who will?” He growled, and Zelda shivered all the way down to her toes. If she was going to escape with her propriety intact, she needed to put an end to this, now. If she let him kiss her… she highly doubted she’d be able to stop.

“The guards. My chaperones. Any of our other guests. Many people could see.” She whispered softly. “I should go.”

Zelda went to slip past him, but Ganondorf trapped her hand in his, then before she could stop him, peeled off her glove. He too, had bare hands, and he looked intently at their naked fingers, intertwined as they were.

“You don’t want to go.” He said quietly, and she swallowed hard.

“…Don’t I?” She asked quietly.

Ganondorf smiled to himself at the princess before him. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted gently, and her breathing had sped up slightly; all excellent indicators of how much she was truly liking this. He could feel her pulse fluttering like a bird from where he held her wrist, her bare fingers somehow just as erotic a sight as her breasts – it was the first time he’d seen her without gloves. He leaned in again, gripping her waist and gently moving her back behind the cover of the rose bush before he brushed his fingers over her pink flushed cheek and tucked a blonde curl behind her ear.

“You don’t.” He breathed. “In fact… I would go so far as to say that if I kissed you… you wouldn’t object.”

Zelda’s eyes widened. “That – is a rather impertinent statement.” She managed, then looked away and cleared her throat. “It doesn’t particularly matter what I, or you, for that matter, want. It wouldn’t be proper.”

But she didn’t pull away.

Cheered by this, Ganondorf lifted her hand and let his lips skim over her bare flesh; her eyes widened even further, if that were possible.

“And that is your final opinion on the matter?” he said quietly, gently sucking a slender finger into his mouth. Zelda’s mouth quite literally fell open and she simply stared at him, completely frozen.

Ganondorf released her hand then, and she balled it into a fist by her side, looking very shocked.

But she still didn’t move away.

“May I kiss you, Princess?” He asked softly, ducking under her hair her nip softly at the shell of her pointed ear. Zelda audibly whimpered at that, and then her hands landed gently on his chest; whether to push him away or pull him closer, he wasn’t sure. “All you have to do is say yes.” He purred, nuzzling the space behind her ear as his hands encircled her narrow waist, made to look even smaller by her ridiculous corset. Honestly, he didn’t know how she breathed in the thing. Zelda’s eyes had fluttered closed, her head tilted back to allow him access, but at those words she opened them again.

“Only if _I_ can kiss _you_.” She said, voice rusty from obvious wanting.

That sounded good to him.

Zelda smiled to herself as Ganondorf grinned and leaned in, his eyes drifting shut as he waited for her to make her move. She moved… but didn’t kiss him yet. In order to give herself time to calm down (the havoc he had wrought on her body just by nibbling at her ear was unlike anything she’d ever felt before), Zelda lifted her hand and traced his features, stroking his vivid bushy brows, his strong nose, and very gently, his lips.

“Don’t move, please.” She whispered, resting a hand on his chest and leaning in. She felt the warmth of his body and shivered at his proximity, then inhaled his scent; it was very male, with a hint of warm spice that she found very appealing. Zelda trailed her fingers down to his chin and gently tugged his beard, making him lower his face further so she could reach, and then she very slowly leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Ganondorf’s skin was warm, and she let her lips linger there for a long, delicious moment, and then she pulled back as he opened his eyes and stared at her, looking completely befuddled.

“…And what was _that?”_ He inquired, sounding rather put out.

“A kiss.” Zelda chimed delightedly. “After all… you didn’t specify _where_ you wanted me to kiss you.”

“You overly literal little viper.” He murmured, cuffing her chin lightly. “You’re far sneakier than you look.”

Zelda smiled and teasingly tapped his chin with her fan, before snapping it open and fluttering it enticingly over her breasts. She was in complete control of her faculties now, and that meant she felt she could tease him once more. After all… Ganondorf had revealed his true feelings. It wouldn’t hurt to play along until she decided if she felt the same.

“I take that as a compliment, you know.” She said wickedly, then stepped forwards and slipped her arm into his, continuing the movement as to force him to walk with her. “You may walk me back to the castle now.”

“May I.” He mumbled under his breath.

“You may indeed.” Zelda looked up at him. “Lord Ganondorf… can I assume you do not wish to kiss me just for the sake of saying you have?”

He was silent for a moment. “You can.”

She nodded. “Then… you’ve given me plentiful things to think of today. But… I promise you I will consider them carefully.”

They emerged from the cover of the hedges and settled into a respectable distance apart.

“That’s all I ask, Princess.” He said, his voice sounding rather like he meant something else all together. “That’s all I ask.”


	6. Unending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is the prompt which warrants the Major Character Death tag. It's fairly graphic, mentions of blood and all that, BUT it is also the saddest thing I have written to date. I cried my eyes out writing this, so prepare yourself. 
> 
> The prompt is: The Oldest Shade of Red.

Zelda clenched her fist against her chest where a sharp pain would not abate. A pained whine escaped her lips as her rapier slipped from suddenly lifeless fingers to clang on the marble floor.

“Princess? Princess!”

She was conscious of the Hero calling out to her, but she couldn’t look at him just yet. She staggered forwards on shaky legs and dropped to her knees beside the figure that had just moments before seemed so unstoppable.

Ganondorf breathed weakly now, a hand clutched uselessly to the blade piercing his chest, trying and failing to stem the flow of blood. Deep crimson oozed over his armour, pooling on the floor and soaking her legs; Zelda ignored it in favour of watching his golden eyes. Once so vivid, so bright and passionate, they were growing duller by the second. 

“Don’t.” She said desperately, wedging her hands in around the master sword, trying to stop the bleeding. Zelda sniffled hard and started to cry, tears slipping down her cheeks. “We can fix this. You’ll be all right-”

His hand covered hers. “I won’t.” He rasped.

A sob tore free from her chest. “You’re such a fool. Why did you do it?” She was truly crying now, desperately trying to stop her tears from blocking her view of his face. “You could have stayed with me-”

“Don’t delude yourself, Zelda.” Ganondorf’s voice was growing weaker, and he stopped to cough, dark blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. “It never – would have – worked.”

“But I  _wanted_  you.” She whispered desperately, holding his hand tightly. Ganondorf pulled free of her grip and, with great effort, lifted his hand to brush over her cheek lightly, leaving a smear of his own blood behind.

“And I – you.” He managed, before his golden eyes glazed over and his hand thudded limply to the floor. 

The Demon King breathed no more.

_“No!”_ Zelda clutched his hand to her chest and wept.

At length, the Hero’s hand settled upon her shoulder.

“Princess?”

Zelda sniffled and looked up. “Link… are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.” He knelt beside her and put a gentle hand on Ganondorf’s arm. “You can do nothing for him now, Princess. It’s time to let him go.”

Zelda nodded, and with great difficulty, lowered the lifeless palm to the floor. “You’re right. It’s just… it’s not fair.” She looked up at him and blinked away tears. “I really thought… that we could make a difference this time, and yet… nothing changed.” She laid a hand on his blood-soaked sleeve. “You had nothing to do with this, and yet the Goddesses made this your fight anyway.”

Her thoughts maudlin, Zelda frowned into the distance for a long moment, then dipped her fingers into her lover’s cooling blood. “You’d think such a man as he would have black blood, but it’s as red as yours or mine.” She looked up at Link, who wore such a sympathetic expression she could almost forget he had just slain the man she loved. But it wasn’t his fault. Not really. “And he’s been doing this for so long… we all have. But more often than not, he pays the price.”

“My grandmother had a saying she was fond of.” Link said slowly. “Whenever my sister and I got hurt, she would sigh and say it was the oldest shade of red in the book. Blood, I mean. I think… for Ganondorf, it rings true.”

Zelda nodded and stood up, wiping her bloodied fingers on her ruined skirts. “You’re right. I pity him for that at least.” She cast one last lingering look at the Gerudo King, then quickly bent down and sliced a lock of his hair free, clenching it tightly in her hand. She wanted something to remember him by, something real, not just a mere memory.

“He’d be furious at me for doing that.” She said with a shaky laugh.

Link gave her a tentative smile, completely ignoring the wound in his shoulder.

“You  _are_  hurt.” She said accusingly, mainly to distract herself.

Link merely shrugged. “I’m okay, Princess. I’ll be all right.”

She nodded and sniffed hard. “I should… say something. He might have committed many atrocities, but… he is still a King.”

Link nodded solemnly, waiting, but when she couldn’t bring herself to speak, he stepped forwards and addressed Ganondorf’s corpse. “I’m sorry.” He said simply. “I’m sorry it came to this, and if there had been any other way, I’d have taken it.”

Zelda wiped her tears. “I love you.” She whispered softly, drinking in the last sight she’d have of her fierce Gerudo lover.

Link smiled sadly at her.

“If he won your heart, he must have been one hell of a man.”

“He was.” She said, and burst into tears again.

“Come on, Princess.” Link said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “There’s nothing here for you now.”

“You’re right.” She said, taking a deep breath and trying to convince herself. “I must see to my people.”

The Hero was triumphant, the evil had been defeated… everything had gone exactly how the legends said it should. Still, as Zelda walked away from the cooling corpse behind her, she couldn’t help but feel like she’d ripped out her heart and left it there with him to wither and rot, and soon, it would be like it had never existed at all.


End file.
